The worm has turned

Tim De luca smith, Aug 11, 2005, 12.17am IST

Millions of computer users are occasionally hit by a virus. System crashes, lost data and annoying pop-ups are all symptoms that many would have experienced and taken as downside to the freedom of the Net. Yet, the majority of PC users do not blame their ISP. The ISP's position, in many cases, being little more than that a bit-pipe to the Web has absolved them of much of the responsibility - at least in the minds of the consumer.

Would the same be true if these people were to experience a mobile virus? By successfully convincing their customers that they own the mobile 'experience': by branding handsets, developing content portals and controlling much of this experience, mobile operators will undoubtedly find themselves in the firing line of consumer concerns over mobile security.

Mobile incarnations of viruses, spam and spyware are not yet mass-market threats. Current variations of mobile viruses are akin to human viruses in that they need close proximity in order to replicate, usually through a Bluetooth connection. However, most within the industry readily accept that it is just a waiting game before we see more sophisticated attacks and distribution mechanisms.

The mobile phone is fast becoming the holy grail of computing - a truly converged device that allows its owner to communicate over voice and data channels, access several network channels (from GSM to WiFi) while entertaining him with games, music and video. The mobile handset's importance in our daily lives and its possible use as a payment channel will be a strong temptation for virus writers.